Paramount is Adapting the Upcoming S.D. Coverly Novel ‘The Arcane Arts’ into a Film
Paramount Pictures to Adapt S.D. Coverly’s Upcoming Novel ‘The Arcane Arts’
Paramount Pictures is set to develop The Arcane Arts, a feature film adaptation of the upcoming novel by S.D. Coverly.
S.D. Coverly is the pen name for writers Dana Schwartz and Dan Frey, who are adapting their own work. Temple Hill Entertainment will produce the film, with Annika Patton managing the project on behalf of the company.
Scheduled for release by Del Rey on May 19, 2026, The Arcane Arts is characterized as a dark academia erotic thriller with elements of fantasy. The narrative unfolds within an elite university, where an ambitious graduate student and her captivating professor embark on a secretive exploration of a forbidden magical discipline. Their hidden endeavors spark a perilous attraction, revealing each character’s deeply buried secrets.
Frey, an accomplished novelist and screenwriter, recently achieved notable success with the sale of his original screenplay Doppelganger, which is being produced by Ryan Coogler at Skydance with Aneesh Chaganty directing. He has also sold an original television project titled Channel to CBS, produced by Lis Rowinski. His extensive experience in both television—working on Magic: The Gathering at Netflix, along with other pilots for Fox, Onyx, and HBO Max—and film, includes titles like Descendants: The Rise of Red and its upcoming sequel for Disney+. He is the author of three novels, including the tech thriller The Future Is Yours and the contemporary fantasy Dreambound.
Schwartz is the acclaimed author of five other novels, including Anatomy: A Love Story, a Reese’s Book Club selection, and Immortality: A Love Story, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her works have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A seasoned screenwriter, Schwartz has worked on various pilots for Hulu, ABC, CBS, and Disney+, and is involved in the upcoming Netflix animated film Steps. Additionally, she hosts the successful iHeartRadio history podcast Noble Blood.
Temple Hill has built a formidable reputation in book-to-film adaptations, with its 2025 slate featuring Clown in a Cornfield, which achieved record-breaking box office results for IFC; My Oxford Year, the most-watched film globally on Netflix; and The Map That Leads to You, which topped Prime Video’s charts upon its release in August. Upcoming adaptations include Emily Henry’s bestseller People We Meet on Vacation, set to premiere on Netflix in January, and Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone trilogy, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Both Schwartz and Frey are represented by Sanford Greenburger for publishing rights. Schwartz additionally works with WME and Ziffren Brittenham, while Frey is advised by TFC Management and Myman Greenspan.
